COI C64
Quill had witnessed everything from the last landmark. One person who defeated the third landmark, it is simple but the woman who made it happened had impressive traumatic experience. Andui had done the impossible, comparing the others who less than the impact from the others. The four survivors have shown her their common event. Where the other three are too different, Quill focuses on the man named Alche. He has already resolved so much in his mind and heart, and nothing else how the demons trying to influence him but the fight they are in.
Quail had her issues in east coast, and O2 surrounded by people who belittled him. Those two had the same pain but in different age, and Quill had nothing else to say if they continue to obtain the orb through that method. Inside the room, many entities enter to see what happened. The reappearance of demon lord who wouldn’t intervene, and the indirect contact of the gods ruptured in their artificial world. They feel that something had warned them, and this recreation reenacted vision from what the dreams meant to do.
“To the last landmark will soon be controlled by them, I have no intention to go any further to this test”
“I for one need to let them experience one last race”
“The Rusics were not involved in the slightest, the Humanesques had too much variations of their kind like those gobins’ spirits, and finally the Eldesunes didn’t need to fight for this trial”
Quill listens to them with every might of their words. It is time for the final control of the landmark.
Andui steps out from the sphere. Haw is waiting for her, and she looks grim after witnessing so many nightmares, easily passed without anyone to see her doing. She looks at Haw and said to him without hesitation.
“I’ve seen one of the nightmares, did you tried to save all those dying people during the attacked”
Haw hesitated, then act it out in impulse, he answered
“I promised someone . . .”
“And it was Reya, right?”
Haw changes his expression, Andui had seen something that thought to be true, and he steadily raised his head up and nod at her.
“I see, thank you for telling me. Oh, one last thing . . .”
Andui moves in to him, where he walks back.
“. . . Please . . .”
Haw shakes his head “There is no need for a second time”
Andui begs “I need it, you see I had succeeded and I want a reward . . . gritted her teeth* . . . Please”
Haw don’t know why she wanted him to do. It was over and she had resolved between them, rushed with no understand each other’s feeling. He has to refuse.
“Andui, if you knew about the promise then you’ve seen my old self”
“Old self!? . . . OLD SELF! You were trying your hardest to save us, and even you acted emotionless back then. You acted nobly to do it, then why is that doing the right thing made you envy the opposite!”
Haw didn’t understand any of this, and it was her view made her change. The stories of men easily been influenced by demons were the cause of this. It wasn’t it and he continued to back away.
“If you really need to understand about me, then will I trust you to listen? And you will trust me to hear yours?”
Andui reaches closer to him, where he stops where the seats blocking him. He remained focus looking at her eyes as she never been bold than she ever was. Both direct and the same time saddened throughout the experience, she had experienced the life of dedication between ignorance and moving on. One step closer to Haw as Haw reluctantly waiting for her, he didn’t move where she remained eager to go closer. Andui raises her head and sees Haw glows and brighten up, to her final gaze she knows what happened next.
“Haw!”
Shouting to his name where he disappears, as she stares through, she sees Reya looking sad as she runs to her.
Reya hugs Andui instead of Haw. Andui tried to say something to her the secrets that Reya didn’t tell her. Everything that happened during the incident, and why they didn’t they report it properly. Too much piling up her head, and her mind bent into a breakdown. It was too much, then, the magic from Reya eased her thoughts through the hymns of her voice. A song she could recognize from her humming, and it was nostalgic, it helps her to lay her head on Reya’s shoulder.
Haw teleported where the two other women waiting outside. The two stared at him, and Iggy looks worried as Haw thank them.
“How long will I keep her from your secrets?”
Coral answered “I don’t know, our lives are on the line if we are going to mention about it again”
Iggy took a deep breath as she can’t find an answer. “I for one don’t want her to know”
Haw can’t understand as he replied “Then I’ll see what happened next, keeping secrets like this will always coming back to haunt them”
“Even you?”
“I have one, but now, not anymore”
Coral thought the same. It was meant to protect Andui and the rest of them. To shoulder this painful decision, and left them everything behind without regret. Yet, Haw said to them in a big surprised.
“Even she experienced like that. She managed to control the third landmark”
“What!?”
The two women heard him in such distinct words. There are so many things they have to worry about now, and thought they could take a break after this. They trust Andui to her own abilities, but never knew what the demonic realm triggered her.
Andui and Reya seat next to each other and talk about the situation they are in. The secrets and the intention are to let the incident passed by. Andui couldn’t raise her voice in high spirit with her victory, and also her worried tone became depressed. Reya explained
“. . . You now understand why all of us wanted to leave, but everything turned to shit when they decided to stay. You’re plan back then were good. Eheh, I guess the simulation really does make an impact on you”
Andui stood still kept her mind at bay as she remained quiet.
“Uh, I guess you want to know more. Ok, about Haw. We know him more than you did. Credits for him doing so much to help us, but in reality, he is so mentally abused”
“I know, I heard him within the nightmare. How he envied so much of those dying people around him while he saved them. I want to know why he is like that”
“Yeah . . . that, will you believe me when I answer for him?”
“Go for it, we are friends, right?”
“Good”
Andui starts clenching her hands and her magic repressed. Reya said to her all the details about him, from Ironno, the information is so surreal that it fits perfectly of his action during the attack. Reya nullified her magic as she continues.
“He was in rehab, more exclusively, he wasn’t meant to be alive. Haw was reformed to the point to be an identical recreation of military men. His action imitates what most adventurers need, but his mind is deluded to which personality to show or not. He definitely brainwashed”
Andui couldn’t bear to hear Reya said to him, she believes that there is good inside in each of everyone. As for Haw, he was made to be. She was mentally tired, and wants to release the anguish through her magic. It wasn’t enough, she stays lying on her shoulder as Reya continues
“I’m sorry Andui, in the end, once that project is done, we have to let him go . . .”
Andui tears up inside where the plan she wanted to have Haw to train the students. The role model of adventuring through an Enders was washed away because of his mental capability.
Andui responded “Then can the students freely want to learn from him”
“If they ask permission from their parents, I think they would . . . but it will be affected by the school reputation”
“Tell me, when did the idea to stop him from teaching?”
“Where Ironno was told about the school standards while he was sent to the principal’s office, thanks to the lockdowns, it got extended and seen what he can do. Then the summer festival started, later the incident about Haw’s volunteered work made it impossible to give him another chance. So much failed examples put Haw to the point of unqualified”
“Lastly, will Haw stay in this city?”
“I don’t want to be dense to tell you but, he had his G . . . F . . . S. I hope I didn’t ruin him”
“Its fine Reya, I just want to see him to be positive. All I want from him to be normal I mean, and he could understand how we feel”
“That’s . . . I want him to do that too, he is a workaholic to the point that he dedicated on his work. I only wished to let the students who succeed the hunt to have their rewards directly from him”
The door opened where Iggy and Coral come in and greet the two. Iggy cheered
“Yahoo! I heard you get the third landmark to work”
Coral enticed her cheers. “Oh Yeah! We can now use the computer to check the detail”
Andui pulled up her head and let the two looks at the computer. Reya watches them turned on the computer as she realized
“Wait a minute, did you turn off the sphere after using it?”
“No, I opened it with my own mind”
Reya pouted and didn’t believe what she had said. The two smiles awkwardly as they are trying to rebuild their mood for the better.
Coral turned on the computer and sees something new added with it.
“What is this?”
Iggy checks and see “Is there something . . . Who is this woman on screen?”
All four of them check the computer where someone on screen. A white-haired girl in a black dress, beautiful as if she dyed her hair white, the woman looks at them as she knows she was being watched.
“I’ve seen much of your progress differently . . .”
“She talks”
“. . . Yes, a strange world where you can interact between artificial and reality”
The woman introduced herself. “My name is Quill, and I am the sole responsible to the sphere’s preservation. Almost all landmarks are controlled by you, but there is only one left. You can tell that you access the third landmark, where collection of memories, intelligence, and individual thoughts, as mine can be seen too”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
They look at her being prep and proper, they never seen such a woman that doesn’t look like the other human in Horsin.
Iggy asks her “Then you might know those two demons whose are protecting the orb”
“Only one who requested to give you reliefs, and the other one being connected by the other person. The Fictitious Dream possessed unpredictable reaction, but logical response to defend itself. I’d say they did what they have to do”
“Right? Anyone of you want to talk to her”
Reya comes in and say to her directly
“About my friend seeing something the nightmare, the last one, how did she managed to get all the information correctly?”
Quill shows it to them, where the screen is limited for them to see. She didn’t know if it would fit, but nearly half of the image shows. Casts on the screen where she shows the interaction among mysteries. Quill explained
“Fictitious Dream always meant to defend itself no matter what, among all the distraction coming to end their minds, is the truth. But something adding deeper to the nightmare at focus, it sensed everything that your mind experience and matches the old magic. That reveals so much to the point that you’re involved something worse”
Reya and Coral see it again, the beginning for the cause to happen, the container that concealed magic. Where the mana released, Reya and the others who found it, she gritted her teeth as the mistake replayed. All four seen the image and put them again another emotional loop. Quill stops
“That incident was collaborated, I will say this, it won’t happened again since the third landmark is hidden and thanks to the second landmark to show you the way. From the thousands of landmarks, I could say that no one will reach it, and none of you will find it within the dream unless you brought it up”
Quill had spoken to them what they needed to know. The last landmark should’ve been the end all through all the control of the landmarks. The control of reality, there they can update all the information they have to the present world. The collapse apocalyptic world they must face. The simulation is that they have to do in PVE environment. Then Quill offered them
“If we treated the lore fairly, the last landmark wasn’t been the place to fight. But something to test the knowledge of the past, sadly the world fell and there is no hope to recover lost history of countless lives”
Reya agreed “Yes, according to the papers. It’s better to summon one of you guys, and give the papers to you”
She showed her the papers in raw draft, not translated. Quill reads it as they see her agreed.
“Truly, I understand. I would likely give it to you. That only work that someone had to activate the landmark. I will be waiting, and please enjoy what you are going to do inside the monument. The elves will satisfy the strength of your leisure”
The screen returned back to normal as they have nothing else to say, they could go there now as three or more of them. Without Andui being part of it, and they would go now. O2, Alche, and Quail come in with Haw. Andui sees him again and continue to rush towards him. Haw had to accept her gesture as she grabs both his hand and raise to their chase and she said,
“Thank you for helping me back then, I hope we could do better next time”
Haw remained speechless, and only nod at her. The others stop worrying about her as she can handle herself. Alche said
“I like to congratulate Andui for her effort, but is it time for them to be taking care the last one”
“It’s tomorrow, we could’ve some fun when we enter the sphere”
“There is nothing to argue since we almost have the controls, then next week will be the final update. Don’t make it sure that everyone to start the simulation easy for them”
Andui and Haw left the simulation room as they rebuilding their trust. Without a doubt from her actions, and she teleported both of them away to the school rooftops, the two give themselves time. Haw starts to think
“Reya, if only I could listen to you both, I could open some topics to settle her concerns appropriately”
While Andui thinks “Calm down Andui, Reya already did what she said to me. Haw, who are you really? Don’t make me force you”
Haw didn’t hesitate and quickly said to her.
“There is still one more week for me to work here, I will commit to give those students their items”
“. . . Great! . . . great . . . great”
Slowly softening her voice to the point of silence, she opens her mouth again to be more personal.
“I’m sorry, but I want to know your motives. I just want to hear your side. Even you said it so bluntly, I want hear from your side. Your actions thought of you as a hero . . . for me”
“Sigh* I have nothing to say to myself, and my actions were following the examples from the one who ordered me. I can only tell you why I can’t die”
Haw pulled out something hidden from his belt, an old chip that has electronic component. Andui sees it as Haw hand it over to her,
“This is the experiment or what they wanted to call it rehabilitation”
Andui touches it and her UIs pop up, her device consist of recovering programs, and she sees the model and the version in detail. Her gaze grew wider how it reached to the 2000s and looks like a replication. The nightmare truly shows the memories of the past, the censored image and fragments of English words coming on her head.
They were here before them, and she has the chip from Haw’s hand. Through by her hand, quickly detect already connected to her device. Faster than any outdated decryption and translation to put together, Haw places it on her hand then suddenly finished. The two sits on the floor and Andui projects the video with her device on the wall. Adding more convenience under the sun, she added shelter to watch it together.
The video plays where the very beginning. Haw hidden under the dark room, hearing many other Enders about the new research about to begin.
“First batch under the code number zero. RH-0, 16 years old, he is under the influence of heavy indulgence of service. Manwhore is the term, through Archscience, and it would be impossible . . .”
More screen showing the details, where it plays like a video, she had to manually check everything it shows her.
Focused heavily on Haw’s status, it was clear for Haw to explain something like this won’t let a brainwashed man to properly explain under the extreme methods by the Enders. Andui thought his old guild where good to him, but now she witnessed the dystopian activities they have gone through for this man to be tested as horrific as possible.
“. . . First batch is at near hundred percent fail, and the RH-0 survived under the influence. Markings on his skin through goblins’ spirits, it is signs that he is more than just a manwhore . . .”
Andui starts to feel sick and held his hand for comfort, and Haw sees his projection of his old self. Fucked and depraved to the point to a living sex doll across the secret areas in Mihayara District, a man tried to speak with his tone and the emotions were barely showing except a few moments. The sensation of his body being block, and the brain randomly causing random reaction but remain stable, the guild had no decisions to which he needed to be saved or tested.
“. . . 3 years of development, he remained alive and thriving to live. If he dares to die, the brain trigger will force him to live. However, his lifespan starts to shorten . . . Wait, we have the technology to prolong it. The subject should be tested further”
Through the years that Haw experienced was horrific, where the few batches were not succeeding except having augmentation. The special exception is him and his body. It was never ending and abusing to both the living and the dead. The project revealed on screen of the purpose they are heading.
“. . . Project Recreation is declared plausible, demonic practices through magic put many lives into their will. The alternative to use Archscience to replicate their powers from the neutral mana source, we have enough proof that anyone can control the other. If we are going to show this in public, they will not acknowledge it either way. Because, the resource we are using now needed years to process it. The only survivor among the few batches”
Andui finishes the first video and the next is ready for her. She turns to him and he was already dead before and now he is now being an artificial made man. Haw moves his eyes, without moving his head, on her and said,
“My fate is sealed, but what is left in me is what you going to see the next one”
Andui wants to see it, seeing the experiment put her becoming more afraid in Enders Bridge, she asks him.
“Am I going to trust Enders after seeing this?”
“We are not the same Andui, you’ve seen our individuality, and others have their owned. In the end, you trust me”
Slowly breathes in through her nose, she had to treat this video as his biography, his tragic story. Return back to the screen as she hits play, Haw sees familiar faces whose are treated him a bit better than before. Military men are under a different department as known.
“Department of Codex is releasing their only surviving batch to us, finalizing the last test to rehabilitation”
“Not even acted accountable from the previous batch of people . . . They are all brain dead because of that!”
The men who are against it but the least number of members within the department.
“RH-0, inside the containment unit, even they added brain tech stuff on his head”
“Either we are going to use it for brainwashing or we could do naturally, but first we need to check the condition on this man”
“He is still young, and he was incredibly lucky when the Coheld’s child reached maturity. A smart mind games she is trying to portray that his emotionless demeanor is worth trying to use in our tech department”
“For now, we will be preparing the procedure and send him to the machinists”
“Then adding to his application, I think he should be part of our department”
The three departments of Dexter Guild show on screen. Archscience, Tech, and Machineries, are the departments. Telling the table of their purposes, the military was too few to the point of disband. Now it was called as secondary profession, it is sad that the department once called as the three in whole but it is another story of their guild history. Andui sees the progress they are making to make him return back to the public. Haw says their name out of respect of his saviors
“Tech master, R-cord, McS4, and X2L . . .”
“What are you saying?”
“Their names, the people who help me back up even how they never show emotionally because they are always wearing their helmets”
Andui stops the video to find those people he mentioned. The video shows the things they did, it was written classified to the point she can’t get anything from it, she asks him
“Did they make you recover?”
“Yeah, the way I speak to you now, is how they speak but I guess the verbal translation won’t make you recognized it”
Haw is trying to show his expression, and Andui touches his face. Showing his true expression where she felt the interference between her magic and the technology put into his head, she sees his face looking relief to see her trying to heal him. It wasn’t healing, and it’s her mental healing. The Archscience scarred him that she can’t heal him anymore, but how he truly feels revealed removing the constraints he tainted in. Andui then said
“After all that you only smiled to me”
Haw replied “Because you tried to believe I could be good, that’s all you wanted to know. I can’t tell you from what you see on screen. I’m just glad you listen, but you shouldn’t be harming yourself for me. I’m done . . . I’m finished, only my fate in actions will lead my conscience. Save those for the students for me, you always want that, right?”
Andui weeps her eyes in disbelief, he already accepted who he is now and lost tremendously on his psyche. A puppet, a man slaved by the depicted mind control. It is his life.
Andui accidentally play the rest of the video as she was moved at the moment. Skipping to the most important part of the video, Haw’s eyes were surprised from the scene of the rivals’ shared conversation.
“Haw, if something happened to you, then it must mean you must be the people who found this chip. You have seen the data that shown this man’s integrity, it is impossible in this apocalyptic world to restore the chip, and however, he has made the vital cure coming from the monsters should’ve become”
The results from the first video show impressive results, not by psychological but heavily on about medicine, and it makes so surreal to Andui’s eyes that like most controversial actions lead to the result for the better. This world is no better or the same as the world they are from, they are like them but in an extra step. What she had seen made her believed if their owned people reach that far. To worse to come when the demons will influence them later on, the fact is there where the video deliberates everything the reason why that project existed.
Andui tries to stop the video but Haw stops her and wanted to continue the video. She was reluctant, and let him do what he wanted.
“On the other hypothesis, if Haw is still alive then it must mean the remaining of his surviving mental state is stable. Either it was the rehab or the experiment, it shows sign he can cohabitate to the community. Then there is a chance he will revert his past experience back to his life, we are hoping he can not harm to any people except who are in contact with him. This message will be the reminder to those who succeeded . . .”
The video ends and an item opened from thin air, it is a scanner, an unidentifiable item through Andui’s view. Haw shows it her and the details of it. Andui touch it and a pop up coming from her UI appeared.
“Congratulation, you have received the lost advance tech item during the Heroes and Demons Era. This is the Archscience greatest modern invention back in the day, it will help exorcise or removed mana at any cost. It is truly made to defy the Soulfate comers to survive from of its feeding of souls . . .”
Haw never expect anymore of the guild who wished to restore the technologies of those eras. It would be useful as he thinks about the farewell gift, and his own life starts to be less valuable in his partially concealed emotional thoughts but he has other people left who is . . . instead having those are might become like him for the worse. Andui reads deeper and see the purpose of this item.
“. . . In this current world now, this item is updated to erase abilities and skills potential. Forcing everything its magic into neutral and even all mana types, this will help to defy the law of any natural order”
Andui tested out, she summons the spirit elk. She commands it to use what elven magic it can do, and the beast gives her swift movements. Later she is trying to control it with her magic, the difference of mana can’t cooperate one another. Then she used the item, and pointed to herself with the elven buff, then both mana starts to synchronize. It starts to feel like they are both the same, in her magic, and she begins to control the buff. She starts to learn elven magic, but comparing to use her owned magic to the elven one. In comparison, the elk’s buff is better than hers.
Andui asks him, “Strange, I can now control it but why is it weaker when I’m using it?”
“I don’t know for sure, but I want you to keep it a secret about this”
She gets excited “Oh my . . . I mean. Yeah, you’re right. I don’t think I’m ready or even the city is ready to use this dangerous item, I guess”
“It’s a guild item Andui, but I do agree what you’ve said. You can have it if you wish to”
“Really! . . . I mean sure, for the students, right?”
“I’d be amazed if you are going to use it when the time comes”
“Aw, don’t worry . . . Then will I be the one be testing it on you”
“I have no mana to test on, but you’ve been starting to get lively now”
Haw constricted by his emotion leaving feint of expression, enough to show himself to be honest by his own looks. It was enough for Andui to continue like this, to end the indirect information between them, and they start their friendly relationship to the beginning. Growing closer as their trust starts to solidify, he hears her ideas, likes, and motives that he believed it’s genuine. Because everything she said to him is still ongoing, and finishing the sphere will set up her goal.
Back in the simulation room, the teachers found something reviewing the about the elves who are still alive. Alche’s curiosity become intrigued alongside with Reya and Quail getting the elven language translated back from their own language. It was their new profound respect for him as he searched deeper until they found the recent Ehan’Ra.
“That’s her, the same age but . . .”
“She looks like an ordinary civilian though”
“No wait, she was . . . wow”
“Alche, search before . . . I think we found the date”
“More than 20 years ago that was updated, then why didn’t set into the recent dates?”
“I think it was set to default. Those landmarks were still protecting it”
Quill, patiently thinking about the last landmark, tempted to the idea to bring what the last update put them into the archive. There is no need for the past heroes to come and protect this place. Her choice is there, and made it likely so. Quill summoned them, the elves of Enders. “Come forth, the remnants of the influenced. Where man dared to convert you according the testaments of both faiths, I am here to see you once again”
Comes forth through the space they those to enter, by the shadow they came or the light lit by the reality of distortion. They came in to believe to be the devoted and the witness of their preachers’ persecutions. One elf comes first as he sings in hymns, prayers in tones or by songs, it was them who survived and honored to preserve what once lost. Now found only by them where the faiths taken away of their greatest examples.
“Bless you Quill, justify your request as my kind remained unchanged”